


Same Rhyme, Different Verse

by WolfMarauder



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Baby's First Op, Explosion? What explosion?, F/M, Family Bonding, kanera - Freeform, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24012985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfMarauder/pseuds/WolfMarauder
Summary: Some one is hunting a force-sensitive child, and the description of the bounty sounds suspiciously familiar.  The crew launches their investigation and meets some new friends along the way.
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Comments: 10
Kudos: 160
Collections: Phoenix Nest May the Fourth Exchange 2020





	Same Rhyme, Different Verse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NightFell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightFell/gifts).



> Happy Star Wars Day!
> 
> This is a gift fic for Nightfell from the Phoenix Nest Discord. Hope you like it!

_Beep-beep. Beep-beep._

Hera woke with a groan and glared at the offending comm and the dimly glowing numbers on the chrono next to it. Depa hadn’t wanted to go down for the night and they hadn’t even been asleep for a full _hour._ If someone was calling her for anything less dire than a third Death Star, there’d be hell to pay.

“Kanan. Comm.” She nudged him with her foot.

“Hera. Your turn,” he mumbled without even rolling over.

Fair enough. She snatched it up from the bedside table. Kanan stirred beside her. “Do they have any idea what time it is?” he moaned.

“I’ll be sure to let them know. If someone miscalculated the time difference again...” She answered the comm before she could finish her threat. “Syndulla.”

“Hera?” The panic in the voice had both Hera and Kanan’s attention.

“Sabine?” She glanced at Kanan, who now had a concerned look on his face. Sabine was on Lothal with them, only a few clicks away in Capitol City. There wasn’t a good reason for her to be calling at this time of night.

“Where are the kids?” Sabine asked shortly.

Hera’s heart jumped to her throat even as she jumped to her feet, but Kanan was already out the bedroom door in a burst of Force-assisted speed. She ran after him, looking into first Jacen’s room, then Depa’s while Kanan felt for them in the Force. They let out a collective sigh of relief. Both of their children were in their beds, just where they’d left them. Unfortunately, the commotion had woken Depa, who was now wailing.

“I’ll get her,” Kanan said softly, running a soothing hand up her arm, “You can tell Sabine the kids are safe. We’ll be there in a minute.”

Hera took a deep breath, trying to get herself back under control as she walked back to the bedroom. “The kids are here, Sabine. Everyone is okay.”

Sabine let out a relieved sigh. “Thank the Force. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

 _That_ was an understatement. Hera’s heart was pounding like she’d just run a marathon. “Why did you think the kids wouldn’t be safe?”

Kanan came in to the bedroom and passed her Depa. Hera held her close a breathed in her sweet baby-smell.

“I got word from one of the Mandalorian coverts that someone had taken out a bounty on a _jett’ika_. Details were sparse, but one of the descriptions said the target was green.”

She and Kanan both looked down at their daughter. Depa took after Hera in looks as much as Jacen took after Kanan, but she inherited her father’s Force-sensitivity. Either of their children would fit the description.

“You seem to believe that the bounty was carried out,” Kanan said carefully.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to find out more, but communication between coverts is patchy at best, and I’m not communicating directly with the one involved. It appears that one of the Mandos secured the target.”

“If someone is trying to find Force-sensitive children...” Kanan began. 

“I’ll tell Ahsoka and Ezra,” Sabine interrupted, “The two of you should try to get some sleep.”

“Call Luke and make sure all of his students and perspectives are accounted for,” Kanan instructed her.

“I will. We’ll talk more tomorrow. I hope I will have more information by then.”

“Goodnight, Sabine. Keep us updated.” Hera hung up the comm and looked to Kanan. He looked as keyed up as she felt.

Depa began to fuss again. “Shhh,” Hera murmured, bouncing the infant gently, “It’s okay, little love.” Hera hoped that was true.

The door to the bedroom cracked open again and Jacen shuffled in, dragging his stuffed Loth wolf behind him. “Mom? Dad?” he asked blearily, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s okay, Jacen,” Kanan said, opening his arms to their six-year-old son. He ran into them and held tight to Kanan’s night shirt. Kanan picked him up so that he could see Depa. “We’re okay,” Hera assured him, “You don’t need to worry.”

“It feels bad,” Jacen mumbled into Kanan’s chest. He looked at her knowingly over their son’s head. 

“Do you want to stay in here with us tonight?” Hera offered, hoping he would say yes. It was hard to predict with Jacen. He may go to them for reassurance, but he had an independent streak a parsec wide. Kanan insisted he got that from her.

He nodded mutely and nuzzled even closer to Kanan. He blinked sleepily at Hera.

“C’mon. Let’s all get in bed, kiddo,” Kanan said gently, rubbing Jacen’s back.

“Depa too?” He asked.

“Depa too.”

They all squeezed into the bed with Jacen tucked in the middle and Depa cradled against Hera’s chest. Her fingers found Jacen’s unruly mop of hair and combed through it. Kanan’s eyes slipped closed and his breathing evened out to a steady pattern. He was projecting calm for the children, and soon they were both asleep again.

Kanan found her hand and twined their fingers together.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen anymore,” Hera said quietly.

Kanan’s steady breathing continued for one... two seconds more. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Hera shook her head. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry for.”

“Our children are targets because they take after me.”

“I wouldn’t change anything about our children. Or about you. It just… It was supposed to be safe now. We sacrificed so much for it to be safe.”

Depa was born of that post-war optimism. When Kanan came home and the galaxy was at peace, they’d been excited to expand their family. The worry’s and what-ifs she’s harbored with Jacen were muted, swept away by her, Kanan’s, and Jacen’s excitement. To think their optimism was misplaced and there was another entity hunting Force-sensitive children... it was a punch to the gut. Even if the target wasn’t one of _her_ children, someone else’s child had very likely been taken and may be in danger. They were probably frightened and confused.

“We should get the _Ghost_ and the _Phantom_ stocked and ready to fly tomorrow. We need to be prepared for when Sabine has a direction for us. If a child has been taken, our team has the experience.”

“Just like old times,” Kanan chuckled, “What will we do with Jacen and Depa?”

“Whoever goes to find the child and the bounty hunter can take the _Phantom II_. The kids and I will be on standby on the _Ghost_ in case the field team needs air support.”

Kanan nodded thoughtfully. “When we do recover the child, other children may be a comfort to them. We’ll talk to Ezra and Ahsoka about it tomorrow. You should try to sleep. I can keep watch.”

“I know you can. I’m just... I don’t want to close my eyes.”

“I understand,” he said, “Will you let me help you?”

“Yes. Not to sleep. Just to calm down.”

Kanan shifted on to his side and laid his hand over hers where she was holding Depa. Comfort settled over all of them like a warm blanket. Hera matched her breathing to his even pace, slower and deeper than the warm, humid puffs of Depa’s breathing against her neck.

* * *

It was another two rotations before Sabine had more news. Thankfully, it appeared that they were looking at a friendly meet-up rather than a complex extraction. By then the _Ghost_ and _Phantom II_ had both had complete diagnostics run and were fully stocked for the month. Jacen was constantly running underfoot, excited to be back on the _Ghost_. It made sense. The ship was the most consistent home he had for most of his life. He had even donned his flightsuit for the occasion—a miniature version of Hera’s that Sabine had given him.

“Love, I need you to settle down so we can finish packing,” Hera said patiently, “Have you gotten everything you need?”

“Uh huh,” he nodded.

Hera looked at him skeptically. “Did you ask someone to help you double check?”

“Daddy helped me!”

“Then it sounds like you are ready to fly. Speaking of your father, where is he?”

“Here,” he said, coming into the cockpit with Depa in her carrier and her diaper bag over his shoulder. “And I brought friends.”

Sabine, Ezra, and Ahsoka filed in behind him. Jacen squealed in excitement and made a beeline for them. Ezra scooped him up and swung him over his shoulder.

“Ez! Ez! Up!” he laughed. Sabine and Ahsoka had to dodge his kicking feet.

“Up?” Ezra asked, “I already picked you up.”

“No! _Up!_ ”

“Oh! You mean _up_. Like… _this?_ ” Ezra lifted Jacen from his shoulder and tossed him in the air, catching him with the Force before he could hit the ceiling and letting him float for a second too long to be natural.

Hera laughed at them. “If you boys will behave, we can actually get flying.”

“Okay, Hera,” Ezra chuckled at the same time Jacen whined, “But mamaaa…”

“Are you sure about this?” Sabine asked, watching Kanan buckle Depa into her safety harness. “The two of you are supposed to be on parental leave. I’m sure we will be fine if you sit this one out.”

Hera waved her hand. “Jacen had two emergency evacs under his belt before his first birthday.”

“That’s… that’s not a benchmark we should be trying to meet,” Ezra said.

“I know that. I’m only saying that I am capable of flying with children in my ship. You said yourself that we don’t expect any excitement on this one.”

“We never do,” he muttered under his breath, earning a chuckle from Kanan.

“She is right,” Ahsoka said, “It appears the bounty hunter is trying to return the child to their kin, but we need to see if they have any information about two put the contract on them in the first place. We will bring them both to the _Ghost_ if they feel safe or rescue the child with the _Phantom II_ if they don’t. Even if things go downhill, the children will not be in danger.”

“Jacen, let me get you buckled in,” Hera said after Ezra let him down into the seat next to Depa.

“I wanna be the copilot!” he whined.

Hera laughed. “I know, but Dad is my copilot today.”

“Like old times,” Kanan said when she took her seat next to him, either referring to his copiloting or Sabine and Ezra’s bickering in the row behind them.

“Almost. It’s not the same without Zeb, but we can’t wait form him and Kallus to get back from Lira San. And I’m hoping for fewer space battles this time.”

* * *

Sabine brought the _Phantom II_ in for a gentle landing on the open plain where another ship was waiting. She spun out of her seat and pushed Ezra back from the exit. “Wait here,” she instructed, “I should talk to the Mando first.”

Kanan furrowed his brow in concern. “I’m not comfortable with you going alone. I sense three beings out there. I am assuming the force sensitive one is the child we’re looking for, but that means there are two protectors.” They could only hope they were protectors and not captors.

“I don’t detect any malice in them, only protectiveness,” Ahsoka said, earning a withering look from Kanan before she continued, “But I agree with Kanan. At least one of us should go with you.”

Sabine sighed. “Fine. Which one of you wants to deal with a touchy Mandalorian?”

“There’s no need to get touchy about it, Sabine,” Ezra joked.

“Okay. Ezra’s out,” she said brusquely over his protests, “Kanan? Ahsoka? Who’s in?”

“Kanan can go,” Ahsoka offered, “Ezra can wait at the door and I’ll be on standby in the cockpit if we need a quick getaway.”

“Works for me.” He donned his face shield and rose to his feet. Sabine took the lead, but he followed close behind her while reaching out to sense what was ahead of them. The Mandalorian stood at the head of the group, a hand rested on the butt of his holstered blaster. Behind him, a woman sat on a rock with a rifle across her knees. “Shock trooper,” Sabine uttered under her breath. Kanan nodded slightly to confirm that he heard, but his focus was on the bright force presence at rear of the group.

“Su cuy’gar,” Sabine called, halting a generous distance from pair.

“Su cuy‘gar,” the Mando answered, “My partner doesn’t speak Mando’a so let’s stick to basic.”

Kanan was relieved to hear that. His Mando’a was pretty rusty.

“Very well. I am Sabine Wren, House of Wren, Clan Vizla,” she laid a hand of Kanan’s shoulder, “This is Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight.”

A surprising pang of sorrow came over the Mando. _Interesting_.

“I am Din Djarin,” he said, “My partner is Cara Dune.”

The shock trooper nodded in greeting but didn’t lift her hands from the rifle.

“Thank you for meeting us. Can we sit down and talk?” Kanan asked politely.

Djarin gestured to some crates by Dune. The Mandalorians followed suit only after Kanan was sitting.

“We were told you found a child that was strong with the Force,” Kanan continued, choosing not to mention that he could pinpoint exactly where the kid was. “May we see them?”

Djarin and Dune shared a look before the Mandalorian waved the pram over and opened the awning. “Here he is.”

The child inside appeared to be an infant or toddler of Master Yoda’s species. He cooed to Djarin with outstretched grabby hands that Kanan recognized as the universal toddler demand for “up!” Even at six, Jacen was still fond of it.

The Mando picked the child up and placed him on his knee. He bounced him up and down a few times, earning some happy gurgles before turning the child so he could study the newcomers with big, dark eyes. Kanan suspected that they would not, in fact, be leaving with a new baby unless they were also leaving with a Mandalorian.

“I’ve... never seen a being like him.” Sabine said. “He is pretty cute, though.”

“I have,” Kanan said. Everyone’s attention snapped to him—except for the child’s, who was watching a bug buzzing around the grass.

“Do you know where we can find them?” Dune asked.

Kanan shook his head. “The two that I knew of were Masters in the old Jedi Order. One died before the Clone Wars began and the other—Master Yoda—died of old age during the Rebellion. I don’t know where the species comes from or even what they call themselves. How did you find him?”

“I took a bounty on a target and before you say anything, I didn’t _know_ it was a kid. The only description I got said the target was fifty years old.” Not hearing any moralizing from his visitors, Djarin continued. “I got there and the tracking beacon pointed to, well… him. I gave him to the guy who hired me, but I couldn’t do it. I took him back and ran. I think we took care of the ones that were after him.” Kanan sensed his uneasiness and guessed the child could as well. He reached up and pressed his tiny hand to the beskar helmet looking down at him.

“We know what happened on Navarro,” Sabine cut in.

“Good. Then we don’t need to go over it.”

“We would like for you to tell us whatever you can about who put the bounty on the child.”

“Why?” Dune asked suspiciously, “What do you need that information for?”

“Besides not wanting to allow someone to steal children?” Sabine asked testily.

“Two of our friends are waiting on the shuttle and I’m sure they’d like to hear what you have to say,” Kanan continued, “In the years before the galactic civil war, the empire targeted force sensitive children. We helped protect them where we could. One of my friends on the ship investigated it then. We would like to help now.

More selfishly, I have two younglings of my own. If you would agree, we can have this discussion on our freighter. Your little one can spend some time with other force-sensitive children.”

“Kanan, are you sure?” Sabine asked.

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”

Dune arched a brow at the impassive beskar helmet.

“Fine,” Djarin answered gruffly, “But my ship will dock with yours and I will check your ship before the child comes aboard. And one of you will come with us so we know your ship won’t shoot us down on our approach.”

“That is acceptable. I will join you.”

“No, Kanan. Ezra will kill me if I leave without you, never mind what Hera will say. You and Ahsoka are being way too trusting.”

“It will be fine. Trust _me._ Hera and I discussed this possibility, so don’t worry about what she will say.”

* * *

Hera could hear Ezra and Sabine arguing before the hatch to the shuttle dock even opened. She glanced down at Depa, who was chewing on her own fist. “Sounds like your brother and sister are back.” The baby only gurgled in response.

They slid down the ladder one after another. Ahsoka followed after at a more sedate pace and greeted Hera with a wry smile. 

“Where’s Kanan?” The arguing ceased as soon as they noticed her standing there. Then they resumed speaking all at once.

“She let him go with the bounty hunters…”

“Kanan told me to trust him…”

Hera raised her hand for quiet. “One at a time.”

Ezra glared at Sabine. “The Mandalorian is meeting us here with the child and Kanan went with him to show that it wasn’t a set-up.”

“How do we know _he_ didn’t walk in to a set-up?” Ezra protested.

“He is fine.” Ahsoka seemed very sure, so Hera had to believe she and Kanan knew what they were doing.

Chopper rolled in with Jacen riding on his dome. “Someone’s calling,” Jacen announced over Chopper’s beeping. Hera walked to the cockpit to take the call on the console.

“ _Ghost_ this is _Razor Crest,_ requesting to dock,” an unfamiliar voice said.

“It is safe, Hera,” Kanan said over the line.

“Permission granted,” she answered, then hung up the comm. A few seconds later, the _Ghost_ shook when the other ship docked. Hera met them at the airlock, which slid open to reveal Kanan followed closely by a Mandalorian in full unpainted armor. Depa squealed at the sight of her father and squirmed in Hera’s arms. Kanan accepted her with a proud grin. “There is my little girl!” Depa giggled and reached for Kanan’s nose. “This is my daughter Depa and my wife and captain of this ship, Hera. This is Din Djarin.”

“Pleased to meet you. Common area is this way. Kanan, can you get some caf started?” He nodded and headed toward the galley, babbling to Depa as he went.

Djarin stood there frozen, utterly out of place on the edges of their casually domestic exchange. “Come along. I’ll introduce you to the others.”

“I’ll call my associate and tell her to bring out the child.”

“Okay…” Hera said slowly and watched Djarin press a button on his gauntlet. A few seconds later a woman came through the airlock with a bundle of brown fabric in one arm. The bundle squirmed and a little three-fingered, green hand reached out, followed shortly by large green ears and big dark eyes. _Gods_ it was adorable.

She extended a hand out to the woman. “Welcome to the _Ghost_. I’m Hera…”

“General Syndulla?” the woman said in surprise, and Hera noticed the band of red tattoos around her right bicep.

“You can just call me Hera. I retired from the navy almost two years ago. You were a shock trooper?”

The woman nodded and looked caught between wanting to bolt and keep talking. “I’m Cara.”

Hera noticed the lack of a last name but didn’t press it. “The shock troopers did difficult and important work. The Rebellion and the New Republic owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Like I said, just Hera is fine. You met Kanan and Sabine, but I’ll introduce you to everyone else while we wait for Kanan to finish up with the caf.

Hera laughed to herself as she watched the two adults standing flabbergasted in the middle of the controlled chaos that was her family all in one place. Clearly whatever image they had of Jedi did not include laughing and playing with younglings on the floor. Even Hera couldn’t have imagined this being her life a few years ago. She accepted a cup of caf from Kanan and repaid him with a peck on the cheek, an openness she wouldn’t have considered then, either. But there was still the lurking threat of whatever brought the child here. Kanan laid a comforting hand on her shoulder and she took a deep breath, then another. If she’d learned anything from the war and after, a lot of todays could pass you by while you threw your whole self in to preparing for tomorrow’s problems. Another deep breath. A balance in all things, including this.

* * *

After they had learned all they could about the people who took out the bounty on the child, they naturally fell in to groups. Ezra and Sabine sat cross-legged on the floor with the child and Jacen. Ezra floated a toy to Jacen and challenged him to keep it in the air and pass it to the child. Ahsoka’s attention was divided between supervising the simple Force exercise and Hera and Cara’s quiet discussion about their time in the military and transitioning to civilian life after their time had run its course. Depa dozed in Hera’s arms, her hand holding on to one of her mother’s lekku.

Kanan sat at the Dejarik booth with Djarin, not really playing or talking, just watching the action around them—or rather, not watching as Kanan’s case may be. It seemed silence was Djarin’s default state. The bucket might hide his face from most, but Kanan could feel the conflict in him and was perfectly content to let him organize his thoughts.

“You haven’t said anything about taking him,” Djarin said finally.

Kanan shook his head. “I haven’t.”

“Aren’t you going to?” He sounded unsure.

“Do you want me to?”

There was a pause while Djarin watched Jacen float a block to the child’s outstretched hands. “I was supposed to return the child to his people. To the Jedi.”

“I think you already found his people,” Kanan said, “I think you are his people.”

“But I can’t be.”

Kanan shrugged. “Why not?”

“Aren’t the Jedi the sworn enemies of Mandalorians?”

“Ni kyr’tayl gai sa’ad,” Kanan quoted, then allowed Djarin to be confused for a minute. “Saying those words—being asked to say them—was among the greatest honors of my life. If a Jedi can adopt a Mandalorian, why can’t a Mandalorian adopt a child that could, one day, be a Jedi?”

Djarin fell silent again. “Sabine?”

Kanan nodded. “Her story is hers to tell, but we all became the family we needed.”

“I don’t know what to do with a kid, never mind a kid like him.”

Kanan laughed. “No one actually knows how to raise a kid. The wonderful, frustrating thing is that they are all different. And I have it on good authority that you do not need to be force-sensitive to raise a force-sensitive child.” He frowned, a familiar ache settling in his chest. “Hera was on her own for the first few years with Jacen. Ezra and I were both missing in action. It wasn’t our choice, but missing those years is my greatest regret. Experiencing all the baby milestones with Depa is bittersweet.”

“Someone will need to teach him how to do the… _you know_.”

“The Force thing?” Kanan guessed with a grin, “I’m sure Ezra, Ahsoka, and I can help with that, but he is still very young.”

“He’s already doing strange things. He stopped a mudhorn from trampling me, just held him in midair. He heals wounds. He’s pushed back flames. He tried to choke Cara once when we were arm wrestling.”

Kanan felt the bright presence of the child and searched more carefully, looking for some suggestion of darkness growing there. But the child was enthralled by the floating toys and his new friend. He was happy.

“Was he trying to protect you or someone he had a bond with when all this happened?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t malicious or anything like that.”

“He can learn to control his power. He is very strong with the Force, but he is still a child. He needs a parent now, and I sense that you need him too.”

Djarin was quiet again before he said, “You are nothing like I thought a Jedi would be.”

Kanan laughed. “Considering what most Mandalorians think of the Jedi, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

* * *

Djarin and Cara politely declined their offer to stay for dinner since whatever warrior code he upheld did not allow him to show his face in front of another. Kanan walked with them to the airlock. “We’ll be in touch with what we can find out about the Imperial remnant group that was after the child. I hope you will return the favor.” Djarin nodded. “Don’t be a stranger. I think the kids got along well.”

Another silent nod. 

Cara shoulder-bumped him jokingly. “I think Mando has used up this month’s word quota in this day alone. C’mon big guy. The kid needs to eat and get to bed.”

The three of them continued through the airlock, but Kanan stopped them again. “Djarin,” he called, “Remember, the vow is, ‘Ni kyr’tayl gai sa’ad.’”

“I remember. I _was_ a foundling, myself.”

“I know. But it _does_ mean that he needs a name.”

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: Because two days after posting this I realized I ended on a Mando’a based punchline but didn’t translate the Mando’a.
> 
> “Ni kyr’tayl gai sa’ad” is the Mandalorian adoption vow, which literally translates to “I know your name as my child.” Meaning that the child needs a name for Din to know. 
> 
> I, personally, am fond of Yod’ika. Not because I want him to be Yoda’s love child or something, but I cannot unknow him as baby Yoda. So Mando’a for little Yoda seems fitting.


End file.
